Mission Statement

Dedicated to recording, preserving, and disseminating the history of engine-powered vessels.

Main Programs

Maritime Historical Preservation

Steamship Historical Society Library

Service Areas

Self-reported

International

Established in the US in 1935, Steamship Historical Society has patrons in 30 countries around the world.

ruling year

2010

Principal Officer

Self-reported

Matthew Schulte

Keywords

Self-reported

ship, steamship, nautical, maritime, shipping, ocean liner, cruise

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Also Known As

SSHSA

EIN

54-6053001

Contact

See more addresses

Main Address

2500 Post Road

Warwick, RI 02886 USA

Cause Area (NTEE Code)

Historical Societies and Related Activities (A80)

Libraries, Library Science (B70)

IRS Filing Requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Programs + Results

How does this organization make a difference?

Overview

Self-reported by organization

Steamship Historical Society is dedicated to the expansion of the knowledge of maritime history through preservation of our collections and the creation of our Image Porthole, which will allow hundreds of thousands of images to be accessed by the public through our web-based Virtual Museum.

Programs

Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Program 1

Maritime Historical Preservation

With extensive collections of maritime photos, periodicals, artwork, official records, memorabilia and ephemera, SSHSA is the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the world. Our members include maritime collectors and artists, current and former crew members, historians and students, genealogists, scuba divers, cruise travelers, ship engineers and architects, and maritime history enthusiasts. Steamship Historical Society also publishes the quarterly magazine, PowerShips (formerly Steamboat Bill), which offers articles on historic and modern engine powered vessels, as well as maritime museum profiles, regional columns, and reader inquiries.

Program long term success

Not available

Program success monitored by

Not available

Program success examples

Not available

Category

Arts, Culture & Humanities

Population(s) Served

General Public/Unspecified

Budget

$552,000.00

Program 2

Steamship Historical Society Library

A research library with over 5,500 reference volumes and several thousand additional periodicals formerly housed at the University of Baltimore is now in storage, but scheduled to re-open in the near future.

Program long term success

Not available

Program success monitored by

Not available

Program success examples

Not available

Category

Education

Population(s) Served

Budget

$552,000.00

Charting Impact

Self-reported by organization

Five powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

Our mission is to preserve, record, and disseminate the history of engine powered vessels. Our goal is to expand the impact of this mission through membership development and through educational outreach, and to obtain a suitable facility in which to carry out these goals.

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

We will use our unique collection to help students understand the connection between these historical primary source materials and the lessons they receive in today’s classroom. We will pursue the acquisition of a permanent facility which is conducive to the preservation of our collection, provides access for educators and researchers, and allows public access to revolving and traveling exhibits.

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

Through the combined resources of staff, education consultants, and compatible historic organizations, we are developing a curriculum to use primary sources to show the historic development of engine technologies, transportation, trade, shipping, vessel design, immigration, and other subjects.

Through increased member giving, grants and a future capital campaign we will identify and acquire a permanent facility.

How will they know if they are making progress?

Internally, we have established an extensive goals and objectives formula which reflects our long range plan. The plan covers subjects including membership building and the development of the education program curriculum, grant support, and staff development. This is paired with evaluation metrics to ensure proper adherence or modification, as required.

Concurrently, we are undergoing the Museum Assessment Program of the American Alliance of Museums to maximize the assessment, organization, and access to our unique resources. We are also researching accreditation options for an organization of our specialty and size.

What have and haven't they accomplished so far?

We are less than a year into our processes for membership development and educational outreach, but are on target for our evaluation metrics. We have secured initial grant funding for the early stages of program development and have entered the museum assessment process. We have begun member acquisition processes through donated professional services, utilizing multiple methods which will be evaluated for impact and return.

We are researching appropriate locations for our museum, library, and research center and will pursue major funding when we identify a facility.

Service Areas

Self-reported

International

Established in the US in 1935, Steamship Historical Society has patrons in 30 countries around the world.

Funding Needs

Steamship Historical Society depends on unrestricted support to preserve and catalog historical materials, and to steward its collection of images, artifacts, artwork, periodicals, and ephemera. Projects are underway to digitize the collection to be made available to the public via our web-based Image Porthole.

External Reviews

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Financials

Financial information is an important part of gauging the short- and long-term health of the organization.

Principal Officer

Matthew Schulte

BIO

Matthew Schulte has a B.A. in Communications and a M.S. in Historic Preservation. With strong experience in marketing and preservation, Matt brings extensive professional management experience and a love of maritime history to the organization.

STATEMENT FROM THE Principal Officer

"I have the unique opportunity to guide Steamship Historical Society into the 21st century. In 1935, amateur and professional historians interested in the history of the engine-powered vessels that forever changed the world of travel and commerce formed the Steamship Historical Society of America. Today SSHSA stewards a collection of hundreds of thousands of images, artifacts, periodicals, artwork, official records, memorabilia, and ephemera archived in more than 100 collections and devoted exclusively to the history of engine-powered vessels."

Governance

BOARD CHAIR

Mary Payne

BOARD LEADERSHIP PRACTICES

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about essential board leadership practices.
Self-reported by organization

RESPONSE NOT PROVIDED

BOARD ORIENTATION & EDUCATION

Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations?

RESPONSE NOT PROVIDED

CEO OVERSIGHT

Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive
within the past year?

RESPONSE NOT PROVIDED

ETHICS & TRANSPARENCY

Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and
completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year?

RESPONSE NOT PROVIDED

BOARD COMPOSITION

Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that
results in diversity of thought and leadership?

RESPONSE NOT PROVIDED

BOARD PERFORMANCE

Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance
within the past three years?